Principal’s WelcomePrincipal’s Welcome
Welcome to Malibu High School. As a school community we are proud of our success and our extraordinary efforts to provide our students with an incredible educational experience. We are a unique school supporting both a middle and high school on a shared campus. The middle and high school programs each have their own identity while also feeling as one school. We are a school that personalizes learning for students and supports them as we hold them to high expectations. We have strong teachers who excel in their practice while always working to improve their capacity to help students to do their best.
Malibu High School is located in the City of Malibu just off the Pacific Coast Highway and Zuma Beach. Originally started as a junior high school, Malibu High expanded to include a high school program in 1992. Our first graduates walked the stage of our outdoor amphitheater in 1996. Malibu High is a different kind of public high school. We are modest in size, serving approximately 1300 students with about 185 students at each grade level. In hosting grades 6 – 12, we are able to get to know each student well and to watch them as they change from young sixth graders to emerging adults with dreams and purposeful missions. Our faculty and staff are committed to serving students and to helping them to succeed in the classroom, on the athletic field, on stage, and in serving the community.
Our educational program is designed to provide students with a strong academic experience that affords them a range of opportunities as they leave our school. A core program of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and physical education defines our middle school program. Sixth graders are enrolled in Humanities where they receive instruction in language arts and social studies; this allows them to more smoothly transition from elementary to middle school. Selected students are able to advance in mathematics starting in the 6th grade. We strive for all of our students to complete either high school algebra or geometry by the end of middle school. Students who may need extra support setting a goal of going to college can enter our middle school AVID program in either 7th or 8th grade. Middle school students can take elective courses in instrumental music (orchestra, winds or guitar orchestra), chorus, exploratory (art, life skills, decisions, pre-AVID), and world languages (Spanish or French in 8th grade). We also support developing leaders with our middle school student council, complete with an elected executive board, and middle school newspaper, “The Surfwriter,” which has its own student editorial staff. We have a great partner in the Malibu Boys and Girls Club. The Club is located on our campus and provides tutoring, leadership development, and activities for both middle and high school students.
The high school educational program is structured to ensure that all students are able to achieve graduation and college entrance requirements. Course work is aligned to the University of California/California State University “a-g” admissions requirements. Students can enrich their programs by taking honors courses in English, math and science. Furthermore, Malibu High offers a full compliment of advanced placement courses: English Language, English Literature, Calculus (AB & BC), Physics, Environmental Science, European History, United States History, Government, Spanish, Studio Art (2d, 3d, & Photography), and Music Theory. In spite of our small size we provide students many elective offerings including choral music, instrumental music (orchestra and jazz), visual arts (photography, drawing, painting, and ceramics), Law & Society, psychology, sociology, Spanish, French, film, journalism, and yearbook. We are able to expand our offerings by partnering with the Los Angeles County Regional Occupations Program (ROP) and Santa Monica College, which offers college courses on our campus for our students. Our diverse educational programs ensure that our students are competitive candidates for top colleges and universities. Our full-time college and career advisor facilitates planning for, and negotiating through, the college admissions process, as well as planning for other post-secondary options.
Malibu High School is an exciting place to be a student and is a home to the community. Each week students are fighting hard toward victory as athletes. We’ve had championship teams and individual champions who represent the best in athletic abilities and sportsmanship. Each year our talented stage performers present dramas, comedies or musicals. Attend a “Coffee House,” “Masque,” “Cabaret,” or the Middle School Talent Show and you will see dance, hear poetry or be enthralled by the artistic talents of individuals and groups who showcase classical, contemporary, pop and jazz. Our annual Spring Gala is a stage for performing artists as well as visual artists who display sculptures, drawings, photos and quilts that embrace American Folk Art as a genuine form. Whether it is an athletic competition or our many showcases for the arts, our community comes to enjoy what our students offer us as they grow and develop as young people at Malibu High.
In as much as our students receive from their teachers, parents, and the community, they have learned to give back. Each year students perform community service throughout Malibu and Los Angeles. They have started clubs like Operation Smile, Best Buddies and Operation Iraqi Children. Their efforts to serve are unlike those of most schools. They think global in their generosity and are able to come together to give service to a great number of organizations. All of our students complete a community service requirement. Each year we have students who far exceed their required expectations because they find much reward in their work and come to understand what it means to be a member of a community.
We are proud of our school. We are a California Distinguished School that is truly the center of the Malibu community. Our parents and community demonstrate their commitment and care for our school by dedicating their time, efforts and resources to ensuring that our students are given every opportunity to excel. We enjoy the support of the City of Malibu and have a wonderful partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of America. It is our hope that every student feels at home at Malibu High and that we ensure that all students achieve their goals.
Sincerely,
Mark O. Kelly
Principal
